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Alabama HS Team Preview: Orange Beach Makos

February 5, 2024
Austin Sharp
Alabama Scouting Director

The 2024 high school baseball season is quickly approaching and as usual, excitement abounds throughout the state. Players and coaches have been working in preparation for the upcoming season and, as is the case each year, there are some very talented players and teams across Alabama.

Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in the Jacksonville/Oxford/Montgomery area at the AISA or AHSAA state championships, but there is plenty of work to be done before that becomes reality. We hope to familiarize our readers with many of the teams across the state as we preview individual teams across Alabama. We will take you right up to first pitch this season with these team previews and by continuing our scheduled podcasts and releasing our preseason top-10 rankings in each AHSAA classification.

Please keep checking back throughout the season as we will be your one-stop shop for everything related to high school baseball across the state.

Each week we will be releasing our Players of the Week, updating the top-10 ranks in each AHSAA classification, as well updating our Power 25 overall rankings. One thing, especially, you don’t want to miss are our scheduled podcasts with guests from across the state, as well as the recaps and previews of the big games we’re covering.

*Please note the information has been gathered from head coaches across the state, based on their replies to the questionnaire we distributed over this offseason.

High School: Orange Beach Makos
Head Coach: Josh Hoyle
Classification: AHSAA Class 4A
Area Number: Class 4A, Area 1
2023 Record (Finish): 11-19 (No Postseason)
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 7
No. of Returning Pitchers: 12
Team Strengths: Experience, Pitching, Defense

 

TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

RHP/OF Will Watts (1/8/23)

MORE UPPERCLASS FOLLOWS

Class of 2025

RHP/INF Austin Beck (9/5/22)

TOP UNDERCLASSMEN

TEAM OUTLOOK

The Orange Beach Makos made the jumps from Class 2A to Class 4A in 2023, and while there were some growing pains, they seemed to start clicking and playing their best baseball at the end of the regular season. After missing out on the postseason last spring, the Makos look primed to make some noise this spring in Class 4A with a host of returners back on both sides of the ball.

The Makos expect to be very deep on the mound, featuring a pitching staff that returns a total of 12 pitchers who saw time on the mound at the varsity level last spring. That experience, which should be another team strength, should only benefit this year's team, as those players are expected to take another step forward and lead this team. They should also be strong defensively with seven positional starters returning, as well. This year's roster features a strong contingent of juniors and seniors who have helped build this program over the past few seasons, and are ready to take the program to the next step this spring. RHP/3B Tripp Carter (2024) and RHP/OF Rylan Gober (Bishop State CC, 2024) are a pair of two-way seniors who return after strong junior campaigns in 2023. Both are expected to provide high volumes of production both at the plate and on the mound, while C Colton Boyd (2027) served as their starting catcher as an eighth-grader and jumped out to our staff after seeing him multiple times last spring. He's expected to only to continue to get better and see his role increase this spring. RHP/OF Will Watts (2024) is another important piece returning to their rotation, while RHP/INF Tucker West (2024) is another talented returning senior who will be one to watch this spring. Looking at the junior class, the Makos have a good mix of talent throughout this group and expect them to take over at some important spots this spring. Some of those players to watch for this spring are RHP/1B Austin Beck (2025), INF Joel Chandler (2025), 1B Cooper Sanders (2025), and RHP/UTL Zane Rogers (2025). Rounding it out, LHP/1B Logan Kruse (2026) is one of their program's top underclassmen in addition to Boyd, and should provide some depth on the mound for their pitching staff this spring.

The Makos are certainly a program on the rise in the southern part of the state of Alabama, and this year is shaping up to be a season where they have a chance to only get better and take that next step. They'll compete in Area 1 against Bayside Academy, St. Michael Catholic, and UMS-Wright for a playoff berth at the end of the regular season. Although it's a tough area they'll compete in, expect Orange Beach to have a strong spring and to be fighting for a playoff spot at the end of the season in Class 4A in 2024.

Find more information on the 2024 Orange Beach High School program below:

+ Follow them on X: @OrangeBeachBSB
+ Visit the Prep Baseball Alabama, 2024 HS Team Previews

FOLLOW PREP BASEBALL ALABAMA THROUGHOUT THE SPRING

+ Prep Baseball Alabama on X
+ Prep Baseball Alabama on Instagram
+ Prep Baseball Alabama on Facebook

 

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